Congratulations! You have been living the keto lifestyle and you are now down to your goal weight. You are wearing clothes you never thought possible and you feel good about yourself. Most importantly, you feel healthy and your activity level is way above what it used to be. So, now what? How do you maintain your weight and health on keto? Is there something different you do during this time? Is there a keto maintenance phase?
Keto Maintenance and Consistency
Bill and I (I think) have been very clear and consistent with the message that keto for us is not a diet. It is a lifestyle. Bill will never go off keto because his body reacts very violently to spikes in blood sugars, which are caused by carbs. We are in it for the long haul and we are okay with that. Not everyone feels the same way. Some people want to transition from keto but keep the benefits they feel from it. In other words, they want to have their keto cake and eat it too.
If you go back to your old eating habits, and avoid keto maintenance you will gain weight and probably end up heavier and more frustrated than you were in the beginning. As I mentioned, many carbs spike your blood sugar. That causes your body to make insulin and insulin converts that sugar into energy and fat storage. Fat storage equals weight gain. The spikes in blood sugar also leads to the energy peaks and lows, which is something you have gotten used to not dealing with while on keto.
Keto Things to Keep In Mind
If you have decided that keto is not for you, here are some things to keep in mind:
- All carbs are not created equally. If you increase your carb intake with some fruit or vegetables, that can be a healthy choice. If you increase your carb intake with bread, pasta, or junk food, you are going to gain weight in a hurry.
- Carbs contain water so if you eat more of them, you are going to gain a couple of pounds in water weight. Any weight gain of 5 pounds or more is a sign that your weight is going in the wrong direction.
- Like anything in keto, transitioning off it needs to be planned carefully.
Yep, even going off keto is work if you don’t want to end up where you were before (or worse). There are many people who go to a low carb diet from keto once they lose the weight the wanted. Most don’t have to be in active ketosis in order to maintain their weight. Again, this gives you the opportunity to eat more fruit and vegetables.
It does not give you the option to pig out on a loaf of bread. Most health articles recommend that if you are transitioning to low carb from keto, you eat 5-10 grams more carbs a day for two weeks to see where you are. If you start gaining weight (5+ pounds), you have gone too far. Reduce again for a couple of weeks and see if you maintain. That will give you the amount of carbs you can eat without actively gaining weight.
The Reason for Your Lifestyle and The Need of Keto Maintenance
Most importantly, remember that you were at the point where you turned to keto for a reason. That reason is that you were eating too much of things you shouldn’t have been eating. If you go backwards, you will end up there again, and that will be heartbreaking. Keto isn’t just about giving things up. Keto is about adopting good habits. No matter if you are on keto or low carb or any other way of life, there are things you need to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle:
- Cook more and eat out less. That way, you know what you are putting into your body.
- Stay away from heavily processed foods. Some keto people need this reminder as well. Processed means chemicals and it is not good for you.
- Measure your food and portions. We all tend to underestimate what we are eating. Weighing out your portions is always a good idea.
- Stay away from sugar. If you start re-introducing sugar into your diet, you are going to go down a slippery slope of cravings, energy peaks and crashes, and feeling like you are depriving yourself.
Focus on What You Can Have During Keto Maintenance
One of the things I love about keto is that I can focus on things I CAN have, not what I can’t have. I rarely have cravings for sugary treats anymore. When I do feel a craving, I eat a keto-friendly treat and I’m good. For me, personally, I know that if I ate a piece of homemade bread or a plate of pasta or a cherry licorice Nib it wouldn’t be good.
I would be right back into that struggle of willpower that I always lost. I’d go into a cycle of feeling like a failure, which would be countered with more food to make me feel better, which would make me feel more like a failure. I got off that train once, and I am not going back!
Remember that keto is a choice every single day. It is most important that you make that choice carefully and intentionally. If you want to be living a keto lifestyle, I want to help you do that. To transition into low carb, just have a plan to do it. If you decide to go back to your old way of eating because that made you happy, then that’s okay too. Just measure out your options, know the information, and make your choices.
Wendy
